Match - Set - Game!

OK, not really. This post has absolutely nothing to do with tennis. Just sewing and pillows.

I recently gave a sneak peek at the Cathedral Windows pattern I was working on. The time it took to finish it up was worth the wait. I had a few hurdles to jump before I could cruise on to "game" (my silly play on the word for "being finished") such as the backing color, how to make the front panel larger, etc, etc, etc.... I decided today was the day to get 'er done and I did! Hooray!!!

An amazing machine

I haven't ever seen one and have only known a couple of people who have used one. What is it? The long arm quilting machine. I have heard about how unattainable they are or how it is difficult to find the room to have one set up in your home. So I didn't think it would ever happen for me.

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to get one. And it was local. And the owner would deliver it. And she said I could contact her if I ever needed help with it. How could I say no to that? I couldn't, so the other day, the prior owner backed her truck into my driveway and we unloaded it.

Pillow Love

I love looking outside on a beautiful day. Whether it's snowing, foggy, or bright and sunny, the view is just beautiful. A few years ago, I saw an amazing project that was made with a pattern called "Cathedral Windows" and couldn't take my eyes off of it. The shapes and colors were just stunning. After some time, I forgot about the beauty of the pattern until it was discovered again recently.

My interests in sewing / quilting have grown quite a lot this past year. I have been in a quilting club for a while and enjoy the fellowship and the challenges but it was after my husband's stroke that I really began to find expression in quilting. The time at the machine brings me to, well, almost to a world where I can say all the things I want to say and no one can tell me that it isn't ok. I choose the material's shapes and colors and conform them into a setting that I choose and turn something meaningless into something useful and, hopefully, beautiful.

Going Modern

I think one of the things I enjoy most about quilting is the vast array of techniques, colors, shapes, uses, and results you can get out of the art. I was talking to my mom about her humble beginnings in quilting and how far she has come over the years. There is so much to learn and so many things I'd love to make!

About nine months ago,  I stumbled across an online quilting website run by a talented quilting teacher named Leah Day. Her blog  and her wonderful teaching videos stirred up enough courage in me to try free motion quilting on my home sewing machine. I had a rough start but I guess that is very normal. I kept trying and to my delight, I got to a place where I felt I was getting some level of success and wanted to continue trying more projects.

The latest quilt-a-long project is a modern quilt. I didn't know what that was but figured I'd try it out. Leah explained from week to week what we'd be learning and doing until the next lesson was posted. Come to find out, modern quilts can free you up from the rigors of tedious measuring, careful cutting, seaming to perfection... It is more about being abstract and erroneous, not perfect points. That is my kind of quilting! All of my projects are modern since few seams line up the way I had hoped or points get sewn over by the next strip of bordering. I'm a natural at this!

We cut squares and strips and started sewing them together.